Lucky Gloves: When held by Chansey, greatly increases the chance of landing critical hits by two stages.
Just like the Leek for Farfetch'd, the Thick Club for Marowak, and the Light Ball for Pikachu, Chansey Fist was a species-exclusive item.
But it was way rarer than those others.
After all, who the heck trains a Chansey to fight with fists?
...Well, his Chansey, apparently.
Caleb tossed out a Poké Ball, and with a flash of white light, a familiar pink egg appeared before the group.
"Lucky~"
He passed the elegant wooden box to Chansey with a smile. "Take a look. See if those gloves fit."
"Lucky!"
Eyes lighting up, Chansey slid its tiny hands into the crimson gloves.
Immediately, a surge of power surged through its arms like electricity.
"Luuuucky~~"
Chansey blushed and let out a long, shuddering moan… right in front of everyone.
"What was that sound?" a nearby martial artist paused mid-bite.
"Kinda sounded like… someone's havin' a go—" Another fighter started to say, then caught himself.
"Hey, hey! Watch your mouth." His companion quickly intervened.
Caleb, panicked, slapped a hand over Chansey's mouth.
Luckily, the three Fighting-type girls nearby were all too young to get the wrong idea — they were just confused by the strange noise.
After Caleb explained, Chansey realized the gloves were a gift from Bea.
Among Caleb's many Pokémon, Chansey was probably the most well-mannered.
Since someone had given her a gift, she had to return the favor — that was basic courtesy!
But… what could a Pokémon give to a human?
Got it!
Chansey reached into the pouch on her belly and pulled out a glowing white egg tinged with violet light. She bounced over to Bea and offered it with both hands.
"Lucky~"
She didn't have much else to give, but eggs? She had plenty.
These eggs were considered top-tier delicacies among humans.
Bea stared at the shimmering egg with suspicion.
Was this thing… edible?
But seeing how sincere Chansey was, she didn't want to refuse. After a moment of hesitation, she accepted it.
"Thanks…"
"Lucky~"
Chansey let out a cheerful chirp.
Seeing Bea take the gift, Caleb chimed in, "Just make sure to cook it properly before eating. And whatever you do—don't deep-fry it. Or it'll explode."
Explode?!
Maylene suddenly latched onto that word.
Why would an egg explode?
The more she thought about it, the more disturbing it became.
…Even a surface-level thought was terrifying, really.
Afternoon. Battle Arena.
Caleb stepped into the stadium and saw a familiar cap-wearing boy already waiting on the opposite side, with Pikachu at his side.
Caleb smirked and called out, "Ash, let's make a deal. No matter how this match ends, the loser can't hold a grudge."
"Of course not!" Ash grinned, adjusting his cap. "But I'm not gonna lose!"
"Pika!" Pikachu chimed in.
"Let's go, Monferno!" Ash threw his Poké Ball.
Caleb gave a soft laugh and pointed forward. "Your turn, Haunter!"
"Gwaaa~!"
Surprise! It's me, baby!
Haunter emerged dramatically from Caleb's shadow.
"Haunter? Not Chansey?" Korrina blinked from the stands. She'd been sure that after receiving the Lucky Gloves, Chansey would be the one to fight.
"Monferno, Flame Wheel!" Ash called out confidently.
"Haunter, Trick." Caleb's lips curled into a knowing smile.
Trick: Swaps held items between the user and the target.
Haunter was holding… a Choice Scarf.
Choice Scarf: Boosts speed by 50%, but limits the user to the first move they select.
In Ash-speak? Monferno could now only use one move.
A swirl of blue light flashed between Haunter and Monferno. Their held items swapped.
Monferno gained the scarf.
Haunter: nothing.
Yup — Ash hadn't given Monferno any item. In fact, Ash rarely gave his Pokémon held items.
Monferno blinked at the sudden blue-and-white scarf now tied around its neck.
And immediately noticed something was wrong.
Wait... I can't use any other moves?
Ash looked just as confused.
"Trick… I've never seen that move before!"
He quickly looked it up in the Pokédex and finally understood.
"So now I can only use Flame Wheel?!"
Gasps erupted across the stadium.
A Ghost-type in a Fighting-type tournament was already pushing it — but using Trick on top of that?!
This guy's a menace.
Veilstone City — Inside a Dimly Lit Izakaya.
Two men were drinking heavily in broad daylight, laughing and swaying shoulder to shoulder, drawing wary glances from the few patrons around.
These two were none other than Mario and the old man.
"Big bro, when it comes to drinking, you're the only one I've ever respected!" Mario slurred, hiccupping.
"You're a beast, a legend! Still got it after all these years!"
The old man laughed heartily, waving a hand. "Nonsense. I'm not what I used to be. Compared to you, little bro, I'm nothing!"
"Remember back in '91?" Mario said, blinking drunkenly. "We were beating the crap outta that jerk at Widow Liu's house, and then—bam! This punk kid showed up—"
Urgh…
Suddenly, the old man's gut twisted. He doubled over.
"Blaaaargh—!"
"Bro?! You okay?! You want to rest?" Mario asked anxiously.
"'S fine, 's fine…" the old man waved it off. "Wasn't the booze. Just saw something filthy."
He pointed at the bar's old TV screen.
Mario followed his finger.
Onscreen, a smug-looking teen commanded a Haunter: "Haunter, use Trick!"
It was Caleb.
Son?!
Mario almost screamed.
The old man snarled at the screen. "That brat. The source of all my nightmares this past week!"
"Don't let that innocent face fool you — he's ruthless in battle!"
"I don't know what kind of messed-up father raised him, but if I ever find out—hmph!"
Suddenly, the old man's scrawny frame bulged with muscle, like steel cords coiling beneath his skin.
"I'll make sure that guy never has a second son!"
Mario froze mid-sentence.
His eyes widened.
His thighs clenched.
Cold sweat rolled down his back.
"L-lots of sweat there, little bro," the old man said, slapping a meaty hand on his shoulder. "Relax, I'm not talking about you."
SLAP. SLAP.
The force made Mario's knees tremble.
"Just you wait. When we find that bastard, we'll teach him a lesson he'll never forget!"
"Y-yeah! Totally!" Mario nodded furiously, voice cracking.
But deep inside, he was screaming:
No, no, no — I can't let Big Bro find out Caleb's my son… or I'm done for!